On the eve of a candlelight vigil for a 72-year-old man killed during a robbery, City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway called Wednesday for a "dragnet" by city police and federal law enforcement officers to crack down on street violence.
"We need to multiply the efforts to get the violent offenders off the street who seem determined to terrorize the innocent residents of Baltimore," Conaway, a Northwest Baltimore Democrat, said in a statement. "With the decline in municipal resources, we need to bring federal law enforcement into the effort in a greater way."
Asked to elaborate on what she meant by a "dragnet," Conaway said she is looking for a targeted effort to "put the heat on."
City officers work on task forces with federal agencies and say they've increased patrols in the area of Waverly where 72-year-old Charles Bowman was killed last week, and near where another slaying occurred two days later.
Conaway said that she believes police need help but has not spoken about it with police or federal agencies. She wanted to promote the vigil, which is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. today near Greenmount Avenue and 29th Street.